Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - romantic destinations in Spain?

Tamy -- congratulations on your upcoming wedding. My husband and I honeymooned in Spain in September 2000. We had 2 weeks there. We decided to limit our visit to Andalucia because we didn't want to stay in more than a few cities and we didn't want to spend too much time traveling between them. Here was our itinerary: flew from NYC to Madrid, connected to Malaga. Picked up rental car and drove to Estepona where we spent 3 nights (I think) at Las Dunas. I highly recommend starting your honeymoon with something relaxing to unwind from all of the wedding festivities. Las Dunas is perfect -- the accommodations are beautiful, the staff helpful. It is luxurious. We spent our days lazily lying by the pool and sipping drinks. You can also golf in Costa del Sol. Skip touristy Marbella -- you can always partake of its nightlife even if you stay elsewhere. We made a day trip to Ronda, which we really enjoyed. It is a beautiful drive. Ronda is built on a huge gorge and is known for its bullfighters. The parador is new, but looks very nice. From Ronda, we drove to Granada. It is a great city -- the Alhambra, the Cathedral, the Albacin, etc. We loved its "energy" and really enjoyed the tapas bars at night (our favorites are behind the Plaza Nueva). We were even there for a HUGE parade for the patron saint of one of the local churches -- we watched from our balcony as men lugged this huge statute of Mary adorned in flowers up and down the street, singing hymns the entire way! We stayed at a place in the middle of town. Some will recommend the parador at the Alhambra, and it is certainly nice, but we enjoyed being in the city, as opposed to outside of town on the hill. Save at least a day for the Alhambra itself and be sure to get tickets in advance or, do as we did, and pay for one of those tours advertised at your hotel -- for about $20 each, we got a round-trip bus ride to the Alhambra, reserved tickets and a guided tour. It was well worth it. Then it was on to Cordoba. This was our least favorite town, in part because we didn't like our hotel. Be sure to stay in the Jewish Quarter. The mosque is beautiful, as is the Alcazar. We also enjoyed a flamenco show there and had dinner at a churrascuria place. Last stop: Seville. Seville is a beautiful city, but difficult to navigate. So, we dropped off the car at the airport and cabbed to our hotel. We stayed at Casa Imperial, near Pilate's house. It is a lovely hotel, built in the hacienda style, each room is different. The staff is very helpful and they have a lovely outdoor breakfast/bar area. We enjoyed some fine restaurants in Seville and great shopping, in addition to sightseeing. I think Andalucia is very romantic place for a honeymoon. The people are friendly, the culture is very different from other parts of Spain and the history is interesting. There is "enough" to see, but not so much that you will feel rushed or stressed on your honeymoon. I hope this helps. Post back if you have questions.